Norfolk Southern Railway CEO Alan Shaw will testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee next Thursday about the derailment of one of the company’s trains in East Palestine, Ohio.
A spokesperson for the railway confirmed Shaw’s attendance in a statement to The Hill Wednesday.
“Alan will share what he knows about the incident. As the [National Transportation Safety Board] has noted, there are also industry-wide issues, and we would expect that other industry participants will also be involved in future hearings,” the spokesperson said. “The rail industry needs to learn as much as it can from East Palestine, as can the owners of the rail cars.”
Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) separately confirmed Shaw’s attendance and the timing of the hearing to reporters. The committee had earlier announced a hearing on the derailment but had not confirmed specific timing.
“This is an issue that affects a lot of folks and we and to make sure we get to the truth, and we want to make sure we get there sooner rather than later,” he said. “We look forward to his testimony, and that of other state and local officials, including appropriate people from the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency].”
A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, which sits near Ohio’s border with Pennsylvania, on Feb. 3. The derailed cars included several carrying vinyl chloride, a hazardous chemical used in the production of plastic.
Weeks later, the EPA took control of the cleanup process and said it would hold Norfolk Southern financially responsible for all cleanup and relief efforts.
EPA and state officials have said no hazards have been detected in the water or air around the site of the crash, but both EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Gov. Mike DeWine (R) have recommended locals drink bottled water as testing continues.
In a preliminary report last week, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed reports that a bearing on the train’s brakes overheated shortly before the derailment. Just before the crash, sensors indicated the bearing had overheated to the point that personnel were required to brake, but by that point it was too late to avert the derailment.